Thinking Images: New Hedrich Blessing Exhibition at the bulthaup Chicago Showroom

It is no coincidence that the world’s earliest surviving camera photograph captured building roofs as seen from Joseph Nicéphore Niépce’s window at Le Gras in 1822. His rudimentary photographic technique required a static subject whose anatomy could be distilled into a few essential gestures without appearing flat.

This circumstantial discovery of architecture’s innate compatibility with the photographic medium has continued to act as guiding thread in some of the most engaging photographic art related to built space, and has been epitomized by the work of the renowned architectural photography firm founded by Ken Hedrich and Henry Blessing in 1929. Since its early attempts at capturing architecture, the studio has shaped the way buildings are represented and has become an important part of the modernist movement in the United States. The recognizable forms of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater House, the floating slabs of Mies’ Farnsworth House captured in a perfect autumn day, and the Hitchcock-esque profile of Mies van der Rohe smoking a cigar have become etched into our collective memory as milestones of architectural representation.

Farnsworth House by Jon Miller, Hedrich Blessing

Hedrich Blessing Photographers‘ new exhibition, entitled “Building on Tradition,” opened last month at the bulthaup Chicago showroom, showcasing a collection of the studio’s current architecture and interior design photographs by Dave Burk, Steve Hall, Tom Harris, Scott McDonald, Nick Merrick, and Jon Miller.

POPS by Scott McDonald, Hedrich Blessing

Devon Boathouse by Scott McDonald, Hedrich Blessing

“Don’t make photographs, think them.” This pronouncement by Ken Hedrich became the motto of the firm and marked the way its photographers approached composition, lighting and capturing specific moods. Unconventional perspectives, original composition, and dramatic lighting are some of the hallmarks of the studio’s work, for which they have become highly regarded among modern architects. Some of the iconic buildings by Frank Lloyd Wright, Albert Kahn, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Eliel Saarinen, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, I.M. Pei, and many others have been popularized through Hedrich Blessing’s distinct photographic oeuvre.

Mansueto Research Library, UIC by Dave Burk, Hedrich Blessing

Barnsworth by Dave Burk, Hedrich Blessing

Like an architect who extracts design ideas from the conversations with clients, photographer Nick Merrick turns to the architects themselves to learn about a building. He combines his own experience of space with the original design intent behind the finished building and stages the photograph by finding the best vantage point to convey the spatial essence of the design.

Federal Center Plaza by Steve Hall, Hedrich Blessing

The light-filled interiors of the Mansueto Research Library in Chicago and the warmly lit walls of the Barnsworth Exhibition Center reveal the guiding principles of Dave Burk’s photography. Through careful command of light and composition, Burk aims to capture the true design intent of the architect.

Gensler Office by Nick Merrick, Hedrich Blessing

Burj Khalifa by Nick Merrick, Hedrich Blessing

The most extensive photographic record of Mies’ works is part of the firm’s archive, thanks to the architect’s collaboration with photographer Bill Engdahl who, although famous for exteriors, helped change the way interiors were shot, using long lenses and natural light. Jon Miller’s famous photographs of Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. These and many other stunning works are part of the exhibition that takes visitors on a journey through the exciting history of modern architecture.

Newell Rubbermaid by Tom Harris, Hedrich Blessing

Chicago Botanic Garden by Tom Harris, Hedrich Blessing

The exhibition, which opened in November, will be on view through the end of this month at the bulthaup showroom at 313 W. Superior St., Chicago, IL 60654.